Memphis falls to Mississippi State on the Road
The University of Memphis softball team fell 8-1 on the road at Mississippi State on Wednesday night at the MSU Softball Stadium. The Bulldogs (15-4) took a 2-0 lead in the second inning and scored five runs in the third to jump to an early lead.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis softball team is back on the road this weekend, traveling to Gulfport, Miss. for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic Feb. 28-Mar. 2.

Memphis (7-5) has won four games in a row after finishing a perfect 3-0 at the Blues City Classic in Southaven, Miss. last weekend. The Tigers have finished unbeaten at the event the past two seasons, and have now won seven consecutive Blues City Classic games dating back to 2012.

Three Tigers, Ellen Roberts, Brittany Vaughn and Wheeler Hill, earned all-tournament honors for their performances last weekend. Roberts was named to the Blues City Classic All-Tournament First Team for a second consecutive season after going 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 11 innings pitched. Roberts currently leads the Tigers in wins (4), ERA (1.68), strikeouts (34) and complete games (5) this season.

Vaughn was also named to the Blues City Classic All-Tournament First Team. In three games, the freshman shortstop hit .444 (4-for-9) and led the tournament with seven runs batted in. Vaughn leads the team with 10 RBI this season, and has reached base in all 12 Memphis games in 2014.

Hill earned a spot on the Blues City Classic All-Tournament Second Team after hitting .556 (5-for-9) over the weekend. The sophomore outfielder had a career-high three hits in the Memphis victory over Morehead State on Feb. 21.

The Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic

Ten teams will travel to the Gulfport Sportsplex in Gulfport, Miss. this weekend for the first ever Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic. Memphis faces a difficult group of opponents during the three-day event.

The Tigers open the tournament with a matchup against the Texas State Bobcats (11-5) on Feb. 28 at 12:00 p.m. The Bobcats have scored 66 runs and stolen 22 bases so far in 2014, and pitcher Rayn House is 8-3 with a 1.79 ERA in 11 appearances this season.

On Mar. 1 at 12:00 p.m., Memphis takes on the 14-0 Mississippi State Bulldogs. Mississippi State has a team ERA of 0.45, and has outscored its opponents 81-7 this season.

The Tigers second opponent on Saturday is Nicholls (5-11), with first pitch scheduled for 6:00 p.m. The Colonels have three players with two home runs or more in 2014.

Memphis concludes the event with a rematch against No. 24 Louisiana (9-5-1) on Mar. 2 at 10:30 a.m. The Ragin' Cajuns defeated Memphis 13-2 on Feb. 15 at the Ragin' Cajuns Invitational. Louisiana already has 26 home runs in 2014.

Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic Schedule

Feb. 28: Memphis vs. Texas State (12:00 p.m.)

Mar. 1: Memphis vs. Mississippi State (12:00 p.m.)

Mar. 1: Memphis vs. Nicholls (6:00 p.m.)

Mar. 2: Memphis vs. #24 Louisiana (10:30 a.m.)

Memphis vs. Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic Opponents

Memphis and Texas State will meet for the first time on Feb. 28. Texas State is the fifth first-time opponent for Memphis so far this season.

Mississippi State holds a 3-0 advantage all-time over Memphis. The Bulldogs defeated the Tigers twice in 2012, and beat Memphis 8-1 on Mar. 6, 2013 in Starkville, Miss.

Louisiana holds a 2-0 all-time advantage over Memphis. The two teams have already met once this season, with the Ragin' Cajuns defeating the Tigers 13-2 on Feb. 15 at the Ragin' Cajuns Invitational in Lafayette, La.

Playing at Home

While Memphis does not play at home until a doubleheader against Jackson State on Mar. 12, this weekend will be a homecoming for senior outfielder Ijiah Hargrove.

Hargrove attended Harrison Central High School in Gulfport, Miss. before coming to Memphis. At Harrison Central, Hargrove played shortstop and second base, and helped lead the Red Rebels to a South State Championship in 2009.

When she signed with Memphis in 2010, Hargrove became the first HCHS softball player to sign a scholarship to play collegiately since 2003.

February Softball

With the 7-5 start so far in 2014, Memphis now holds a 67-55 all-time record in February.

The 2011 team had the best February in program history, finishing the month 12-3.

Playing With A Lead

Memphis has scored in the first or second inning in six of the team's seven wins so far this season.

Memphis is 6-2 when they score first and 1-3 when the opponent opens the scoring.

An Early Impact

Several of the Memphis freshmen have made quite an impact so far in 2014.

Brittany Vaughn has played shortstop and hit third in the order in every game so far this year. The Bowling Green, Ky. native has reached base in all 12 of the Tigers games. Vaughn is third on the team with a .382 (13-for-34) batting average, and leads the Tigers with ten runs batted in.

Lindsay Crowdus, who has played center field and hit leadoff in nine games, leads the team with a .448 (13-for-29) so far in 2014. She also leads the Tigers in hits (13), triples (2), total bases (17) and on-base percentage (.515).

In the circle, Christian Novak holds a 3-1 record and a 2.33 ERA. Novak has allowed nine runs in 27 innings pitched to go with 16 strikeouts. She is second on the team in wins so far in 2014.

Calli Irvin has seen time in the circle, at designated player and at first base. Irvin is hitting .316 (6-for-19) and leads the team with two home runs so far this season.

Haleigh Ross is tied for third on the team with five RBI and hit her first collegiate home run on Feb. 21 against Morehead State.